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Freedom Service Dogs moving from Englewood to Highlands Ranch

By Clayton WoullardYourHub Reporter

Posted:
05/29/2014 12:01:00 AM MDT

Updated:
05/30/2014 09:20:34 AM MDT

Rocket brings his handler, Brianne Corbett, a bottle she dropped during training at the Englewood Library. Freedom Service Dogs in Englewood rescues, trains and partners dogs with disabled veterans. The nonprofit is looking to move to Douglas County. (Seth McConnell, YourHub)

ENGLEWOOD —Freedom Service Dogs in Englewood is looking to move to Douglas County over the next few years after finishing a three-year capital campaign for a larger space.

Freedom Service Dogs is a 27-year-old nonprofit that rescues abused or abandoned dogs from shelters and trains them to be helping partners for people with disabilities, including wounded veterans.

The organization's chief operating officer, Stacey Candella, said five years ago the organization was graduating six to eight dogs a year and is now graduating 35 dogs annually. The organization is also one of a few of its kind that provides dogs for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which Candella said is a growing need.

"We really do need to graduate more dogs to feed the need that's out there for them," Candella said.

The organization has raised about $2 million over the past three years and most of that will go toward the construction of the new facility to be located near Lucent Boulevard and C-470 in Highlands Ranch. It will be 12,000 square feet, essentially doubling the space the organization has now.

Brianne Corbett, one of seven trainers at Freedom Service Dogs, said she is looking forward to the new space for reducing kennel stress on the dogs, which can impact the efficacy of training, and giving trainers a place of their own to do the training. Right now the trainers use a local church, as well as taking the dogs to places like Lowe's and Target to get them used to being out in public.

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The new facility will be built over the next two to three years in phases. Candella said the groups needs to raise more money during construction.

Freedom Service Dogs has an annual budget of $1.2 million. It costs about $25,000 to train a dog. Corbett said the organization rescues about 115 dogs a year, but only graduates about 35. That's because a lot of dogs just don't have the temperament or ability to absorb and stick with the training.

"Just like people, dogs fall into bad habits," Corbett said.

Dogs not able to be trained are adopted by families, Candella said.

Summer, a 7-year-old yellow lab, helps David Watson, who received spinal cord and leg injuries in the Air Force during the Persian Gulf War. Before he was paired with Summer, Watson found himself falling a lot at home and in public. Now Summer stands in front of him so he can use her as a brace.

"It's almost like a relationship or a marriage with the animal," Watson said. "She becomes a part of me. My wife calls her my legs. It's amazing what these dogs do, it really is."

While Watson said he has developed a close emotional bond with Summer over the past five years, he doesn't consider her a pet, even though she does get to play. He tries to discourage people from petting her in public, except for kids, so she doesn't get too distracted and will be ready to help him immediately.

This year, people with their own dogs can help Freedom Service Dogs through a fundraising project by McNeil Designer Portraits. The local photography business is putting together a coffee table book called "Dogs of Denver" that features portraits of dogs from around the metro area whose owners have paid $250 to have their dog photographed. Sean McNeil, the lead photographer and digital specialist on the project, said the plan is to photograph 150 dogs to raise $30,000 for Freedom Service Dogs, roughly the cost to train one dog.

"I love what they're doing," McNeil said. "I wanted to figure out a way to put one dog through their whole program."

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